1997:
Bob Penfield, the last original Disneyland Cast Member, puts in his
final day of work. He will be honored with a window on Main Street.
Penfield began working at Disneyland at age 18 in July 1955!
Disney's newest stage musical The Lion King debuts in Minneapolis,
Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre. (It will open on Broadway the
following November.)
1995:
Disney announces the acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC. As a result of the $19-billion merger, Disney will add the entire ABC television network, key affiliates, ABC radio networks, publishing enterprises, and much more to its rapidly expanding roster of business units.
2005:
The Hong Kong Economic Times reports that Disney plans to open a theme park in Shanghai in 2012.
Disney's On The Record (a touring musical revue) has its final
performance at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In its
36-week tour, On the Record has performed for over 350,000 people in 24 different U.S. cities.
1934:
Disney files a lawsuit against the United Biscuit Company of America,
Sawyer Biscuit Company, and the Chicago Carton Company. The case
involves the unauthorized use of Disney characters for animal crackers.
(The suit will be settled in favor of Disney after four months.)
1946:
Singer/drummer Gary Lewis (son of famed comedian Jerry Lewis) is born in California. In 1964 he and his group the Playboys will perform at Disneyland where they will be discovered by record producer Snuff Garrett.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys will go on to have a strings of hits that include This Diamond Ring,
She's Just My Style, and Everybody Loves A Clown.
1955:
The Casey Jr. Circus Train (based on the train of the same name from the 1941 Dumbo) debuts at Disneyland's Fantasyland. The train was to open with the rest of the park on July 17 ... but it wasn't operating properly.
1960:
At Disneyland, the Sunkist Citrus House opens on Main Street.
(It will remain open until June 1989.)
1967:
Animator Tom Bancroft is born. After studying at the California Institute of Arts, he will move to Florida to work for Walt Disney Feature Animation at the Disney/MGM Studios. Over the next 12 years Bancroft will work on such features as The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tarzan. Tom has a twin brother Tony who co-directed Mulan!
2004:
ESPN holds a 2-day event at the Walt Disney-MGM Studios to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
From the late 1950s to 1968 Los
Angeles Airways provided regularly
scheduled helicopter passenger
service between Disneyland and Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX)
and other cities in the area. The
helicopters first operated from
Anaheim/Disneyland Heliport, located
behind Tomorrowland. Service later
moved, in 1960, to a new heliport
north of the Disneyland Hotel.
Arriving guests were then
transported to the
Disneyland Hotel
via tram.
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2007:
Buena Vista Home Entertainment releases the Walt Disney Pictures
documentary IMAX movie Roving Mars (originally released to theaters January 27,
2006) on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Narrated by Paul Newman, the film documents the 2003 Mars
Rover mission. This special edition package also includes such bonus features as the 1957 Disney film Mars
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry announces that Disney World has invited the State
of Oklahoma to be the first state-dedicated marketplace experience at this fall's
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The backdrop of the Oklahoma Experience -100
Stories of Oklahoma - will be three Walls of Wonder depicting Oklahoma Trailblazers through photos & stories.
The Walls, which are 12 feet high and 21 feet long, will provide guests with interactive activities.
In order to make way for a new luxury resort, Disney World's Eagle Pines Golf
Course has it's last day of operation.
Disney Editions releases Robert Tieman's book The Mickey Mouse Treasures.
The richly illustrated book describes Mickey's life over the decades.
JULY
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JULY 31
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1974:
Disney releases the live-action drama The Bears and I starring Patrick Wayne.
Casey Jr. Circus Train debuts
"In high school my twin brother, Tony, and I drew comic strips for the school paper. That continued into Junior college where I/we took only life drawing so we could get our portfolios together to get into art school." -Animator Tom Bancroft
1929:
Disney's ninth Mickey Mouse short The Karnival Kid is released.
It features Mickey speaking his very first words: "Hot dogs!". (Storyman and adult Mouseketeer Roy Williams will later be inspired by this very short to create the Mickey Mouse ears hat!)
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2009:
At Epcot, Captain Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen, and Matt Bradley - three of the
featured stars of the popular Discovery Channel reality series, Deadliest Catch - sign
autographs and pose for photos inside The Puffin’s Roost at the Norway Pavilion.
The trio will appear through Sunday, August 2.
